Bedtime Stories
by TheBeautifulNerd
Summary: Lily and Ethan struggle to get their five year old daughter off to sleep. One-shot.


**This is sort of a one-shot linked to my story "Positive" but you don't have to read that story first to be able to follow this :)**

"So the two princesses crept into the dark, creepy woods to go and fight the evil witch," Lily whispered. She was sat on the end of her daughter's bed. Five year old Isla smiled as she listened to her mother tell her a bedtime story. "And then...One of the princesses realised that it was way past their bedtime," Lily yawned. "And that they would have to continue their adventure tomorrow."

"Mum," Isla whined. "Noooo."

"Sorry princess," Lily apologised and ruffled Isla's hair. "Tomorrow. Right now my little princess needs to go to sleep." She leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight and I'll finish the story tomorrow."

"Night night mummy," Isla said, kissing her back.

Lily smiled and stood up from the bed. She tucked Isla in, switched off the light and left the little girl's room. Ethan was sat on the sofa in the living room, working on a crossword puzzle.

"Is she asleep?" He asked.

"She sure is," Lily said and sat down next to her husband. "It took a while though. I had to tell her another princess story."

"You're amazing with her," Ethan praised and kissed Lily's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too. Why don't we watch a film?" Ethan nodded and wrapped an arm round Lily's shoulder. "What do you fancy? Twilight?"

"Seriously?" Ethan chuckled. "A vampire film?"

"Come on," Lily whimpered. "You know it's my guilty pleasure."

"Put it on then," Ethan sighed.

"Mum!" A little voice called from upstairs. "Mummy! Daddy!" Lily and Ethan exchanged looks and sighed. Lily patted Ethan's leg and the two of them stood up to go and see to their daughter together. Isla was sat up in bed clutching her teddy to her chest. "I can't sleep," the five year old whispered.

"And why not?" Lily asked, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

"I don't know." Isla shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe I can come and watch TV with you and daddy."

"Nice try," Ethan laughed and walked over to the bed. "Come on, pumpkin. You need your beauty sleep, don't you?"

"No," Isla giggled and shook her head. "I'm scared."

"Of what?" Ethan asked, tickling his little girl. "What are you scared of?"

"Um...Zombies!" Isla squealed.

"Not real," Lily said, coming to join her family by the bed.

"Um..." Isla held a finger to her chin, deep in thought. "Wolves."

"There are none around where we live," Ethan said.

"Burglars!" Isla said. "They exist."

"We won't be getting any burglars," Lily said and kissed Isla's cheek. "I promise you."

"How do you know?" Isla asked in a very small voice.

"Because mummy's are magical," Ethan whispered in her ear. "And they know everything. Come on, settle down now or you'll be tired in the morning. You have no reason to be scared." Isla nodded her head faintly and snuggled back down, her teddy bear next to her. "Good girl," Ethan praised and gave her a kiss.

"We love you," Lily said and kissed Isla as well.

Isla rolled over and shut her eyes and Ethan and Lily left to go back downstairs to their film. Lily yawned and slipped the DVD in before getting comfortable on the sofa and resting her head against Ethan's chest. Ethan held her close and kissed her head as the film started. Lily was tired though and she could feel her eyes closing.

"Mummy, are you asleep?" She heard a voice say, slowly opening her eyes.

"Isla," Ethan groaned and it sounded as if he could have been asleep himself. "Come on princess. You're meant to be in bed."

"I heard a funny noise," Isla said, pouting and holding her teddy bear.

"That was just daddy snoring," Lily said, rolling onto her back with a hand across her stomach. She sighed deeply and shut her eyes again. "Go on. Go back to bed."

"I want to stay with you and daddy," Isla said. "Please mummy."

Lily opened one eye and glanced up at Ethan. Ethan smiled and nodded, rubbing at his head with a tired hand.

"Come on," Lily said and sat up, patting the space between her and Ethan. Isla smiled and crawled onto the sofa, taking her place between her parents, her bear in her lap. "Couldn't Barney sleep either?"

"He was scared like me," Isla said and held her bear up. "What were you watching?"

"Twilight," Ethan said. "And it is not a film for little girls so we will be turning it off." He picked up the remote and switched the TV off, silence filling the air. "Well, it's a good thing you don't have school tomorrow."

Isla giggled. "You could finish the princess story mummy. I bet daddy would like to hear it."

"Oh yes mummy," Ethan begged, playing along with his daughter. "Please tell it."

"I don't know," Lily said, resting her head back against the sofa. "I'm very tired."

"Please mummy," Isla pleaded, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes.

"Alright, where was I?" Lily asked.

"The princesses were going to fight the evil witch," Isla informed her.

"Oh yes!" Lily said. "Well, the two princesses were scared of the evil witch so they were fairly nervous."

"I think that there should be a handsome prince in this story," Ethan put in and nudged Isla's arm. "What do you think? Do you think daddy should have a role in the story." Isla smiled and nodded. "Ahh, the princess has spoken."

"Fine," Lily laughed. "As I was saying the princesses were scared so they thought they would pay a visit to the handsome prince who lived nearby to get some advice."

Isla listened intensely to the story and rested her head on Ethan's lap. Ethan stroked her hair and listened also as Lily told the story, pausing every now and then for a yawn. Eventually Isla had fallen fast asleep on her dad's lap, the bear in her arms. Lily smiled down at her and glanced across to see that Ethan had also fallen asleep with his hand on Isla's head. She smiled at her loving family and lay down on the sofa, her head on Ethan's shoulder and her arm wrapped protectively around her little girl. Whispering a small goodnight to the both of them, she too drifted off to sleep.


End file.
